The post cPanel Conference 2013 appeared first on HostGator Web Hosting Blog | Gator Crossing . If you happened to read our blog post about cPanel’s 2012 conference , then you already know that cPanel throws a conference like no other. This year’s conference was September 30 to October 2 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The meals were top-notch, the exhibitor floor packed with exhibitors and attendees, and the nightly outings and events were all quite memorable (for those who remember them). Just like we said last year: cPanel does it right! Everything kicked off with a gathering of attendees in front of the hotel for a New Orleans tradition, a Second Line , which is basically a giant group of folks following a marching brass band. We were unhampered by the slight rain due to orange cPanel umbrellas having been supplied to the group: While we waited on the dock prior to boarding the boat, Creole Queen , we were treated to several more tunes from the band. From our vantage point here, you can just barely see the top of the tuba, but trust us the band was there and they were amazing: As soon as we stepped on board, we headed down to the dining hall where we were treated to some delicious Cajun food: And the band played on: After dinner, our cruise on the might Mississippi river officially began. The view of New Orleans from the water was truly impressive: The night concluded with a party at the Masquerade Bar inside of Harrah’s casino. It might be worth noting that at this point in our tale, the actual exhibit floor of the conference had not yet opened: The next morning, we awoke to find a little surprise. Apparently, WHMCS ninjas had deposited their custom product into each of our rooms whilst were we all out the night before. Presenting the WHMCS Complete Hangover Solution: water, Tylenol, stain remover, band-aids, Pepto, Tic-Tacs, and 5-Hour Energy: It was then time for the exhibit floor to officially open. We spent the day chatting with customers and other industry providers, making new friends and handing out tons of HostGator merch, all from the comfort of our own booth: We had some interesting visitors stop by and see us as well, they took a particular shine to the Snappy dolls: Throughout the course of the conference, our displays took many different shapes and forms: Unlike last night when we floated on a boat, tonight we rode on floats. We were accompanied by a marching band and and given a police escort through the streets of New Orleans. As you can see in the following image, the floats were stocked with plenty of beads to toss to the revelers on the streets: We ultimately arrived at the venue and were treated to a high energy set by New Orleans’s own Bag of Donuts, who play an impressive mix of music from the 50′s up through current hits. We will say it here for posterity: that singer plays a mean cowbell! We had certainly come to expect the unexpected, as interesting characters seemed to appear out of the woodwork in New orleans, but we had never quite encountered the likes of this individual, who prowled about the venue all night: As day two of the conference began, the exhibit floor again had its own surprise cast of characters, including this very tall gentleman: It was another day or talking with customers and colleagues and handing out copious amount of HostGator t-shirts and stuff Snappys. Once the convention floor wrapped up, we found ourselves at the House of Blues for the closing ceremonies. The food was amazing and the drinks flowed into the night: As morning arrived, it was the time to say our goodbyes and call it a wrap on the 2013 cPanel conference. We then saw this sign, reminding us that we’ll be doing it all again next year, back in the hometown shared by HostGator and cPanel: Thanks again to our friends at cPanel ! We’ll see you next year! To see more behind-the-scenes pictures, please visit our Instagram page .